Cher, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg: Saturday Night Live is feted with a concert for the ages
apnews.com
Miley Cyrus attends the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert at Radio City Music Hall on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)2025-02-14T20:25:30Z NEW YORK (AP) By the time Cher sang If I Could Turn Back Time, it seemed as if time had indeed been turned back, and every single Saturday Night Live musical guest of 50 years had magically found their way to Radio City Music Hall.Of course, it was only a smattering. But SNL50: The Homecoming Concert boasted an epic lineup. It was an evening of memorable solo performances and often fascinating, one-time-only collaborations: Bonnie Raitt and Chris Martin. Arcade Fire, David Byrne, St. Vincent and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Post Malone and Nirvana.The concert, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, was only one element of what has become an enormous celebration of the shows 50 years in existence, leading up to Sundays SNL50: The Anniversary Special, live from Studio 8H.But Friday night was all about music.Some highlights: Return of the 1990sIf a decade can win the night, lets hear it for the 1990s. A classic performance from that decade was most likely to get the Radio City audience on its feet, singing along and pulling out their phones to record. The Backstreet Boys proved irresistible when they broke into I Want it That Way. Snoop Dogg may have sung Gin and Juice, but he was trailed by enough smoke to give nearby audience members a contact high. Wearing a gigantic coat befitting a winter night, Lauryn Hill commanded the stage with Wyclef Jean and the crowd melted at the first notes of Killing Me Softly. Yes, (some) comics can do musicNaturally, some former SNL cast members reprised old characters, with varying levels of success. The Culps, the stuffy music teachers played by Will Ferrell and Ana Gastayer, hit harder and funnier than they ever did on the show. Their attempts at being current were hilarious and they even worked in a few verses of Not Like Us, with a plea for harmony between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Andy Samberg and Chris Parnells Lazy Sunday was welcome, but too short. Lady Gaga was a good sport, replacing Justin Timberlake to sing about a Christmas gift whose title cant be repeated here. But Bill Murrays lounge singer foursome routine with Gastayer, Maya Rudolph and Cecily Strong fell a bit flat. They love LorneSNL creator Lorne Michaels didnt perform, but he was referred to all night long.I love you, Lorne Michaels, declared Miley Cyrus, dedicating her hit song Flowers to the shows founder. Raitt, finishing I Cant Make You Love Me, thanked Michaels for having her on the show so many times. Lets give it up for Lorne, said former cast member Adam Sandler, introducing a collaboration between Post Malone and Nirvana. We love you buddy. And Marcus Mumford, lead singer of the British folk band Mumford & Sons, said he was there to represent Michaels admirers from across the pond. Creative collabsThe night featured fascinating collaborations that brought together musicians of all kinds. Cyrus teamed with Brittany Howard to sing Queens Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Arcade Fire joined with David Byrne, St. Vincent and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to perform David Bowies Heroes. Byrne later also collaborated with Robyn, in matching khaki suits, for Dancing On My Own and This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody). And for Raitts second song, she sat down with Chris Martin, the Coldplay frontman who became her pianist for I Cant Make You Love Me. In another collab of sorts, the B-52s were joined on Love Shack by former and current SNL cast members Fred Armisen, Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman, singing the bang bang lyrics.Lady Gaga collaborated with herself, singing both parts of Shallow and bringing down the house. Most valuable playerQuestlove is more associated with the Tonight show, but he is proving to be the MVP of these Saturday Night Live anniversary festivities. Not only did the drummer produce the splendid documentary on the SNL musical legacy, but he effortlessly kept the beat with The Roots, his legendary hip-hop group and Tonight show house band, as they covered every style imaginable, from Snoop to Eddie Vedder to Brandi Carlile. Byrne bowed in appreciation.No JokeCarlile has become known lately for her collaborations, most notably coaxing Joni Mitchell back to the stage. Friday night provided a reminder of her own artistry with the political climate adding a special urgency to her impassioned version of The Joke. A second Nirvana reunionFor the second time in as many weeks, the surviving members of Nirvana reunited. Rather than the quartet of women who fronted the band for the Fire Aid concert, Malone took Kurt Cobains place on Friday. Their version of Smells Like Teen Spirit was fierce, a reminder of why the song packed such a wallop when it was first heard. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto JOCELYN NOVECK Noveck is an Associated Press national writer specializing in culture and gender, and a film critic. twitter mailto
0 Commentarios ·0 Acciones ·77 Views ·0 Vista previa